SF 49ers: Rookie report-card grades halfway through 2020 season

The SF 49ers’ 2020 NFL Draft class was defined by Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk, but how has the entire rookie class performed?

It didn’t necessarily matter much how the SF 49ers‘ day-three picks from the 2020 NFL Draft would perform their rookie seasons.

No, what mattered most would be the kind of returns the Niners would receive from their two first-round selections, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Those two players defined the draft class. And while general manager John Lynch has had his share of gaffes and mistakes in recent drafts, most teams would consider it a success to land at least two impact players any given year.

That’s the hope with Kinlaw and Aiyuk.

Halfway through the 2020 season, San Francisco finds itself with a 4-5 record and dealing with a slew of injuries on both sides of the ball. In the big picture, that’s not great. Yet it’s important to evaluate and see just how each of the SF 49ers rookies has performed up to par.

It’s a relatively simple grading system, tiered down per round based on each rookie’s desired level of expectations. First-round picks clearly have higher pressure on them to deliver sooner and with more potency, while Round 7 picks and undrafted free agents aren’t exactly viewed as much more than supplementary pieces — role players at best or training camp bodies pegged for development if they hang around on the practice squad.

Niner Noise’s first-quarter grades for each rookie will see some changes, as there’s a lot more evidence supporting each first-year player’s efforts halfway through 2020.

Let’s kick things off with San Francisco’s first selection from last April, Kinlaw.